The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Simbi Kesiye Wabote, has emphasized the importance of transparency and a new master plan for the sustainable development of the Niger Delta region.
Speaking at the NDDC Public-Private Partnership Summit 2023 held in Lagos on Tuesday, Wabote stated that transparent and prudent management of the Commission’s finances would attract private sector support and genuine local and international partnerships.
He also recommended that the NDDC project itself positively through its choice of signature projects and interventions and open its accounts and project sites for public scrutiny.
According to Wabote, “capital is very shy and avoids controversies like a plague. In a situation where there are real or perceived infractions, corruption, lack of accountability, and other vices, capital attraction becomes a big challenge.”
Wabote based his recommendations on the experiences of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), which is currently rated as the best agency in the country by several independent arms of the Federal Government and the private sector.
He also called for a modified or an entirely new Niger Delta Master Plan, to be developed with the support of key stakeholders of the region. He blamed the failure of the Niger Delta Regional Master Plan launched in 2007 on insufficient funding, frequent changes in leadership, delays in budget approvals, and other issues.
Wabote advised the NDDC to stick to its core mandate and avoid being pressured by interest groups to derail or dabble into projects outside its responsibility. He emphasized that the assessment of proposals should be strictly based on their sustainability, “otherwise, it would be money down the drain.”
At the summit, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) worth over $15 billion was signed between the NDDC and Atlanta Global Resources Inc, an international infrastructure project financing firm, for the construction of a mega rail line that would connect the nine states that make up NDDC and ease the infrastructure deficit in the region.
NDDC Managing Director, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku, described the deal as the first harvest of the PPP approach. He noted that NDDC could no longer shoulder the enormous responsibility of developing the Niger Delta region alone, hence the recourse to PPP model to provide alternative funding sources for critical developmental projects and programmes to effectively drive sustainable development in the region.
